The best days of the year for the deer hunter are finally here! The whitetail rut is the time bowhunters live for. You’ve dreamed about it all year, but are you really ready for what lies ahead? Do you have the gear to help you stay mobile throughout the days of the rut? Staying mobile allows you to stay with the action. Don’t get stuck in a routine that fails to produce notched tags. Go mobile this season to punch more tags. Here’s a look a the best mobile hunting gear for the rut.
Treestands
It’s safe to say that more mobile hunters hunt from a Lone Wolf stand than any others. Why? These stands are about as user-friendly as anything you’ll ever come across. The engineering and design built into them makes these stands super quiet and easy to setup and tear down in a moments notice. They make it really easy to move with the action when you realize you’re not in the game.
The Alpha II ($259) and Assault II ($249) from Lone Wolf make quick work of the mobile hunting chores due to the simplicity built into hanging these stands. Combined with the company’s climbing sticks, you can be up and in the stand in under 10 minutes. It’s a great mobile hunting setup that provides ample platform space and a comfortable perch as you wait out your buck.
Do you have the gear to stay mobile during the rut?
Tree Saddles
Saddle hunting just might be the hottest thing going for mobile hunters these days. Is it just a fad? Who knows! Time will tell if hunters are in it for the long haul with this super-light mobile hunting system, but for now, hunters across the country are putting the tree saddle to work for run-n-gun hunting.
Companies like Tethrd offer safe and secure saddle hunting gear that allows deer hunters to hit the woods with minimal gear on their back for super stealthy mobile hunting during the rut. They offer a Saddle Starter Kit ($314.97) that has everything you need to get started with bowhunting from a saddle this season.
Tethrd Tree Saddle
Saddle Hunting Platform
One of the biggest questions that comes up with saddle hunting is, “Where do you put your feet?” And while there’s a number of options, from standing on limbs, to screw-in/strap-on steps, nothing seems to work quite as well as a saddle hunting platform for your feet. The guys at Lone Wolf Custom Gear are releasing one of the latest and greatest options this fall with the introduction of their Ambush micro platform ($279.99). It makes life easier – and more comfortable – for saddle hunters. It weighs in right around 5 pounds and packs nice and light on your back or in a pack.
Tethrd offers their own platform, the Predator Platform. It weighs in at 3.5 pounds with the strap and sets up quick and easy. It provides a rock solid platform to place your feet while hunting form the saddle. It’s priced at $179.99.
Ambush Platform for Saddle Hunters
Ground Blind
For times when a treestand or saddle is just not an option, the ground blind can be the perfect mobile hunting solution during the rut. The ground blind goes up in seconds and with a little brush work on the exterior, you pretty much become invisible to deer in the area. The blind is a great option for those nasty weather days when the rain is falling or the winds are howling. You’ll stay protected, comfortable and have all your gear out of the elements.
The Muddy Infinity 2-man ground blind ($199) is about as light as any portable ground blind on the market. It sets up incredibly fast and features a camo pattern than blends well with about any brush you throw against it.
Muddy Infinity 2-Man Ground Blind
Lightweight Camera Arm
If you’re the deer hunter that likes to self-film all your rut hunting action, then you really need to check out the latest offering from Fourth Arrow. The Carbon Arm 3.0 ($229) is longer, stronger, and lighter than any arm yet. Paired with the company’s micro base and shoulder, you’ll quickly shave off the pounds when it comes to camera arm gear for run-n-gun deer hunting.
Fourth Arrow Carbon Arm 3.0
Wireless Trail Camera
One tool that has proved to help hunters hone in on where they need to be during the rut is the wireless trail camera. These cameras instantly send photos to your phone allowing you to know when and where bucks are making their move. A hunter can now be sitting in one stand and receive notifications as to when a buck might be moving about elsewhere on the farm. It’s about as good as you can get for the most recent intel. Stealth Cam offers their WXV camera for Verizon customers and the WXA camera for AT&T customers ($299). These are super fast cameras, featuring 22 megapixel image quality and a 100′ flash range. These cameras truly take mobile hunting to a new level.
Do you have a trail camera that keeps you posted with the most recent information on deer movement on your hunting property?
Electric Bike
The eBike boom in recent years has been impressive. Battery powered bikes are getting hunters into the woods further and quieter than ever before. Bikes like QuietKat’s Ranger ($2699) is plenty strong, can range 20 miles and weighs in at 75 pounds. They are the perfect solution for going in deep, yet staying undetected. They are obviously a lot less invasive than a noisy ATV and even leave less ground scent than walking in by foot.
eBikes are growing in popularity among mobile hunters that want to cover more ground during the rut.
onX Mapping
One of the greatest tools of modern times for the mobile hunter is mapping apps for the smartphone. And none do it quite as well as onX ($29.99 / $99.99). You can gain a wealth of information about a property, how it lays out, weather patterns, navigation, land boundaries, property ownership, and so much more with this slick program. You’re essentially turning your smartphone into a GPS with this app. And it even offers off-grid use allowing you to continue to use the maps even when you’re out of reach from a cell signal. It’s an incredible app that enables you to hunt smarter and faster when on the move during the rut.
Stay mobile during the rut with onX.
Kayak/Canoe
Kayaks and canoes can be one of the stealthiest tools you’ll use all season when it comes to making mobile moves on whitetail bucks during the rut. A water approach to your stand is pretty much silent. Play the wind right and you’ll slip in the back door on a buck that’ll never know you’re in the world. They are light enough for one man to handle loading and unloading, yet can handle a surprisingly large load to get you and all your gear back to where the big boys hide. Kayaks like the Wilderness Systems A.T.A.K. ($1499) are built for serious hunting and fishing adventures. It has a ton of features plus ample space for your hunting gear. But don’t let the price with this high-end option scare you. You can find budget kayaks at your local Walmart. Like anything, you can spend as little, or as much, as you like when it comes to the perfect boat for your mobile hunting needs, with prices ranging from $200 to $2000.
A water sneak during the rut may be the deadliest move you’ll make on a deer all season.
Conclusion
Don’t get stuck in the rut this year with stale stands that you hunt day after day. Your first sit is often the best sit. Keep moving. Stay with the action. The gear mentioned above was designed to help you stay in the hunt with the game you pursue. Get the best mobile hunting gear you can afford and notch more tags during the whitetail rut this season.
